


If I Had You

by ralsbecket



Series: earth's mightiest heroes [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Arc Reactor Kink, Domestic Disputes, Established Relationship, Idiots in Love, M/M, Post-Iron Man 1, Song: If I Had You (Adam Lambert)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22674214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ralsbecket/pseuds/ralsbecket
Summary: Taboo Writing Challenge - Day 7: Kissing something that shouldn't be kissed-The topic of their current argument: Trust. As in, when was Tony going to trust Bruce enough to tell him that he wasliterally dying?
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark
Series: earth's mightiest heroes [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1771900
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	If I Had You

**Author's Note:**

> “The flashing of the lights  
> It might feel so good, but I got you stuck on my mind, yeah  
> The flashing and the stage it might get me high  
> But it don't mean a thing tonight”  
> \- Adam Lambert, _If I Had You_

They were never supposed to meet. Tony Stark was only a consultant for SHIELD, someone Nick Fury decided to use against General Ross to get the U.S. military off the large target that was on Bruce Banner. But then Tony got curious, and you know what they always say: Curiosity killed the cat.

Tony had been in India for an event hosted by a high-ranking official that owed him a favor. Bruce was in India hiding away from the government and doctoring the sick. The former was snooping around the quaint little hut that the scientist called home while he waited for his return.

“How the hell did you find me?” Bruce slowly dropped his messenger bag in a nearby chair as Tony turned to face him. There was an immediate recognition in his eyes – but then again, who could mistake Tony Stark when he always wore tailor-fit suits and impeccably stylish footwear?

“Nice place you got here, Dr. Banner,” he said instead, avoiding the question. Tony pulled his shades off and tucked them into the front of his shirt. He blinked at the man, taking in his disheveled hair and rolled up sleeves. “Although someone with your experience can surely make it big stateside.”

Bruce stared back at Tony with an unwavering confidence, managing a small grin. He pursed his lips. “I’m not so sure, Mr. Stark. I don’t think they could handle both _your_ ego and the Big Guy in one zip code.”

For once in his life, Tony Stark was at a loss for words. Bruce Banner had some _bite_ in him. He let out a laugh, his face splitting in a grin. “Touché. I’ll learn to keep my nose down with you around.”

“Did SHIELD send you?” Bruce asked him, straight to the point, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I came on my own,” Tony revealed, rocking on the balls of his feet. “Listen, I have a proposition for you…”

After that day, the two of them were largely inseparable. Tony somehow convinced Bruce to come back with the promise that SHIELD would keep Ross and his men away. The doctor couldn’t quite believe that someone like Tony Stark would be working with SHIELD as anything more than a military contractor, but one look at the Arc Reactor in his chest launched him into questions that the billionaire was surprisingly happy to answer.

They got close. Planned out coffees, then dinners. Bruce quickly became Tony’s plus-one to social events (given, if he was feeling up for it; neither of them wanted The Hulk to crash _those_ parties). He visited Tony’s mansion in Malibu so often that they basically lived together; the rest of the world surely thought so. Both men got increasingly comfortable with the other as months went on, going from colleagues to best friends, and before either of them realized it, they were falling into each other.

For Tony Stark, love never came easily. However, falling in love with Bruce did. He was accomplished, intelligent, but most importantly he could stay two steps ahead with keeping him in line. Tony fell in love with the way Bruce’s tongue stuck out absentmindedly whenever he was in deep thought. Tony fell in love with the way Bruce’s eyes lit up when he received words of affirmation (which he made sure to do more often). Tony was never big on physical touch, not until he fell in love with the way Bruce found any excuse to feel him – to put a hand on his leg, to hold his hand, to card his fingers through Tony’s hair. He fell in love with his humor, and the lazy mornings they spent together in bed, and the way he comforted him without question because of nightmares.

For Bruce Banner, love came gradually. It was like he was the frog sitting in a slowly boiling pot, warm and unwitting. Loving Tony Stark was like fire, and he’d be damned if he wasn’t ready to get burned. Bruce fell in love with the way Tony often stopped and took in his surroundings, especially during beautiful sunsets and bright full moons. Bruce fell in love with the way Tony found absolute joy in gift-giving, whether to charities or his friends (not just because it was “easy” or that he was “buying love”). Bruce worried about him early on, whenever he spent days working on projects for him and Pepper and Rhodey and Happy, until he realized that was his own personal way of showing he cared. He fell in love with the little tunes he sang under his breath while he worked, and the endearing way he tried and failed at cooking, and the brown color of his eyes that resembled sunshine through whiskey.

If anyone ever asked, Tony made a fuss about how Bruce was clearly the one who fell in love with him first, _not_ the other way around. And the doctor would just hide a smile and accept it, because while Tony tiptoed around the situation a lot earlier than he did, Bruce had the courage to be the first one to say, “I love you.”

With all the great things came some not-so-very-great things too. They argued over whether or not Bruce even wanted to find a cure for his little green issue. They argued over Tony always overworking himself, especially with the relaunch of the StarkExpo. The two of them usually had words and avoided each other (for all of thirty minutes) before Tony would wander into the room trying to make things right.

The topic of their current argument: Trust. As in, when was Tony going to trust Bruce enough to tell him that he was _literally dying_?

Bruce had walked-in on Tony changing his shirt and saw the dark, angry veins underneath his skin. It didn’t take a genius to understand that the very thing keeping Tony alive was also killing him, poisoning his bloodstream and making him sick. Suffice to say, Bruce was not happy.

“When the fuck were you going to tell me, Tony?” he questioned, anger twisted into his words. “Were you ever _going_ to tell me?”

Tony stood there with his mouth opening and closing like a stupid fish. He stammered over his words. “I had planned to, Bruce, but I got so busy and – _yes_ – eventually.”

“ _Eventually_ isn’t good enough. Not with something like _this_!” The smartwatch on his wrist continued beeping until he managed to level his heart rate again. Bruce turned away from his boyfriend, taking in deep breaths. He pulled his glasses off, using his other hand to palm his face. “How long have you known?”

Tony worried his lip, watching the less than stellar expression on Bruce’s face. He revealed, shoulders slumping, “Not long… a few weeks.”

“Tony!” Bruce groaned, frustrated. “Tell me someone else knows.”

“Just… Just JARVIS.”

“ _Tony._ ”

“The palladium doesn’t want to play nice, and I can’t exactly replace it with any...” Tony trailed off, sighing. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

“It’s a little late for that, I think,” Bruce snapped. He looked at Tony again, a deep frown set on his lips. He couldn’t blame the man for science failing him, and he couldn’t blame him for inadvertently being poisoned by it either. He could, however, be mad at him for never telling him. But the initial anger had dissipated into disappointment, and Bruce decided to let it go.

He made his way to Tony, searching his eyes briefly before wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “I just wish you’d told me sooner,” Bruce mumbled into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think…” Tony clutched onto his waist, his cold hands slipping under Bruce’s shirt. “In case you didn’t realize, I’m not really good at the whole _relationship_ thing.”

Bruce pulled back to give Tony a sad smile. He pressed his lips to his, noting the scruff that scratched at his skin slightly. “I love you,” he said pointedly, twisting his fingers in Tony’s dark hair. “We’ll get through this together, alright? But, honey, you need to start trusting me more.”

They say curiosity killed the cat, but no one ever remembers that satisfaction brought it back. In kind, Bruce definitely kept Tony satisfied.

That night, Bruce showered him with kisses from his forehead to his nose, from his throat to his collarbone. He left feather-light kisses across his chest; hoping to kiss away the darkness under his skin, biting back a smirk when Tony’s breathing hitched. When Bruce’s tongue swiped along the circumference of the Arc Reactor – the most sensitive areas that were scarred over, that Tony hated seeing but Bruce loved him for – it was then that Tony literally and figuratively began to unravel.

That night, Bruce made love to him. It was every bit of carnal desire and sensual lust that clouded their minds, transferring their deepest emotions through every kiss. Every roll from Bruce’s hips was pure ecstasy, and Tony couldn’t help clawing his fingernails across the broad expanse of his back just to get him closer.

Soon enough their moans and groans turned incoherent. Somewhere within it, Tony managed _Is that all you got, Dr. Banner?_ And Bruce started to nip at his skin, leaving angry red marks to punctuate each hard and fast snap of his hips alongside Tony’s breathless _yesfuckBruceholyshit_.

The tightening coil in Tony’s lower abdomen finally broke loose when Bruce reached his orgasm, releasing into him and triggering his own. Tony captured Bruce’s lips with his, swallowing the moan residing at the back of his throat.

Breathless, Bruce mouthed at Tony’s skin, trailing his tongue across the love bites that he had left behind. Tony lifted Bruce’s chin and kissed him again, hard and deep. With his soft eyes and his sweet smile, he leaned his forehead against Bruce’s, sighing out contentedly. “I don’t deserve you.”

“You do.” Bruce’s mouth turned into a grin, teasing. “I fell in love with you _first_ , remember?”

~*~*~*~

Tony was currently puking his brains out in the toilet of a cargo plane 15,000 feet above New York. Bruce could hear him muttering to himself from the other side of the door.

“I’m not gonna make it… I’m not gonna – _oh, God_ –” It was more retching followed by uncharacteristically loud sobs.

Pepper and Bruce shared a look with one another. Bruce could only feel pity for him at his point. He reached for the lavatory door, sighing with disdain at the sight of Iron Man on his knees hugging the toilet bowl.

“I’m serious, give me a little space,” Tony said, waving the both of them off as he continued to dry heave. “I can’t – _ugh_ –”

Pepper leaned against the door frame, with the Iron Man helmet tucked underneath an arm. “Get up,” she ordered firmly, looking annoyed.

Tony lifted his head, still complaining. “Oh, God. I can’t go through with it.”

“We don’t have time for this, we _have_ to go!”

They watched as Tony flushed the toilet, climbing unsteadily onto his feet and wiping his mouth. He stopped at the threshold, face haggard and sweaty. His eyes found Bruce’s and he asked, “Where am I? Do I look weird?”

Before he could say anything, Pepper answered, “Yeah, you look like you do every day – you look like you have a hangover.”

And she wasn’t wrong, necessarily. Bruce hadn’t seen him this bad since before they officially began dating, but ironically enough, Tony was showing all the symptoms without all the fun. He made Bruce promise not to tell Pepper, and Bruce (mostly) kept his promises. He followed behind carefully as they walked into the hangar, a little more concerned than Pepper seemed to be at the moment.

“Miss me with the Sheen thrower, will you? I literally just almost died in there,” Tony said, his feet landing heavy with every step. “Give me some toast, give me some crackers. Ginger ale, anything.” He all but threw himself into a seat, trying to catch his breath. To Pepper, he said, “Give me some Advil.”

“I don’t have Advil, I’ve got Motrin.”

“Motrin? I’m telling you, there is something seriously wrong –”

“Yes, there is something serous wrong with you!”

“– with giving a grown man Motrin.”

“It’s a _brand_ name! It’s ibuprofen!”

“ _I’m not on my cycle, Pepper!_ ”

Bruce rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the childish antics. “Real mature, Tones.”

“ _Motrin_ , Bruce! You’re not even going to support me on this?”

A buzzer sounded, followed by the pilot giving out instructions. Pepper tried pulling a slightly hysterical Tony to his feet. “Abort mission!” he called, still a little green in the face. Bruce and Pepper trailed behind him as he staggered a bit. He pointed towards the oxygen mask hanging on the wall, shouting once more, “ _Abort_! Bruce, tell him to stop saying we’re dropping.”

Bruce turned as the bay door started to lower, wind loud in their ears. The New York city lights were beautiful up here. “Tony, we are not aborting the mission,” he said simply, amused but feeling the annoyance that exuded from the woman beside him.

Pepper stepped up beside Tony, her brows knitting together. “Do you have any idea the level of coordination it took for the DOD to approve this?”

Tony took in a few deep breaths before pulling the mask away momentarily, avoiding her eyes. “Send them flowers,” he responded, voice coarse from throwing up and shouting so much.

Bruce pulled Tony away from the wall, pointing out, “We are over the drop zone!”

“What?” He threw the oxygen mask off his head, turning around in the bulky suit to come face-to-face with his boyfriend.

“It’s now or never, Tony.”

Tony blinked at him briefly, a small smirk starting to grow across his lips. “Let’s do this, baby.” He made a beeline to the opening of the hangar, hair whipping around in the wind. Pepper sighed loudly, shoulders slumping. She caught Bruce’s eye and said a quiet ‘thank you’ before handing over the Iron Man helmet.

His change of heart was whiplash fast, which caused some concern to tickle at the back of Bruce’s mind, but Tony had a new spark in his eye. Tony held onto him when he approached, looking as if he prepared for a heart-warming speech. “I know I can be selfish sometimes, and I know I don’t say it enough…” A pause. “But how’s my hair?”

Tony had said it with such conviction, such seriousness, that Bruce fought the urge to smile. “You said that before.”

“I know, but this time I mean this. Is it PC enough? Do I need more product?”

“Yeah. You’re looking good,” he told him. Truthfully, Tony always looked good. Even sweaty and gross, and even with drool dried up on his face when he wakes up.

Tony shook his hair out (as if he had hair long enough to shake). Bruce stifled a laugh as a ghost of a smile found its way onto Tony’s lips. “Do you like that wind-blown look? Yeah? Give me a smooch, for good luck, I might not make it back. This is… heavy stuff.”

Wordlessly, Bruce grasped the Iron Man helmet and pressed a kiss to the front. With a grin, he hurled it out of the cargo bay door, turning back to Tony. “Go get ‘em, honey.”

As Tony hopped out of the plane, he quickly said, “You complete me!”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: As I was writing the "he fell in love with" paragraphs, my heart was literally EXPLODING from the cute TT^TT
> 
> Also, I stumbled across [this post](https://the-feels-assassin.tumblr.com/post/103953252704/tony-starks-love-language) talking about Tony's love languages
> 
> [Check out my linktree for tumblr, discord, and other socials!](https://linktr.ee/ralsbecket)


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